I’m not too sure why anybody is giving John McCain news coverage anymore, but apparently he’s not too happy that the Iraq War will come to a definitive end when the last American troop returns home in December:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) says an agreement could have been reached to keep more American troops in Iraq into next year.

Citing a trip he recently took to the country, McCain said on ABC’s “This Week”: “[The Iraqis] were ready to negotiate. The United States didn’t have a plan as to how many troops should remain behind. How could we expect the Iraqis to sit down and agree?”

And McCain said the issue of immunity for American troops could have been resolved.

“It could have been negotiated, I know because I was there at the time,” McCain said. “The question of immunity could have been resolved. The question of immunity is being used as an excuse.”

Leave it to a cranky old maverick to rationalize that the Iraqi’s request for justice and accountability when it comes to troop misconduct is an excuse and not a valid motive in itself. Anyway, his stance shouldn’t be too surprising, because he infamously said in 2008 that “it would be fine with me” if the United States stayed in Iraq for 100 years. I guess he won’t be so lucky as to get his wish.